After losing two straight matches for the first time in conference play this season, Indiana volleyball turned things around Friday at Rutgers.
Indiana opened the match struggling offensively, losing 25-21 in the first set. Losing 7-2, junior setter Camryn Haworth came out of a timeout ready to gain momentum with her tough serving, helping the Hoosiers close the gap to 10-7.
However, the Hoosiers failed to close the gap anymore and found themselves down five through the middle of the set. Indiana fought off two set points but was not able to make the final push and take the set.
In the first set, the Hoosiers had 14 kills and nine errors compared to Rutgers’ eight kills and five errors.
Senior outside hitter Morgan Geddes led the attack with six kills on 13 swings. Graduate middle blocker Kaley Rammelsberg added four kills hitting .571 in the opening set.
Geddes had three kills early in set two to help the Hoosiers take an 8-5 lead. After starting out hot, the Hoosiers were able to control the pace through the second set, ultimately winning 25-20. Senior middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede paced the Indiana offense with five kills in the set followed by Geddes with four.
Indiana hit .351 as a team with 17 kills in the second set. Rutgers also hit well in the second set with 12 kills at a .290 clip.
After a successful second set, Indiana continued the momentum taking the third set 25-18. Geddes contributed to three straight points with a kill followed by solo and block assists to help the Hoosiers take back the lead and go up 9-8.
Indiana’s offense found its balance in the third set with sophomore outside Avry Tatum adding a trio of kills, Geddes added another four and sophomore outside Candela Alonso-Corcelles added four kills. Rutgers had 12 kills and seven hitting errors, while Indiana hit .378 with 16 kills and only two errors in set three.
Indiana took the fourth set 25-18 and won the match 3-1 over the Scarlet Knights. The beginning of the fourth set was back-and-forth until both teams reached eight points. Indiana went on a run after a pair of service aces and two kills from the Hoosiers, putting them up 12-9. Geddes continued her impressive night tacking on another three kills and getting the final kill of the match to seal the win for Indiana.
After struggling in the first set offensively, Indiana settled in and finished the match hitting .290 with 61 kills. Geddes led all with 18 kills hitting .375. Rammelsberg and Alonso-Corcelles each added 11 kills. Haworth finished the match with a double-double with 48 assists and 15 digs.
Next up, Indiana will travel to Ohio State on Saturday. The Hoosiers look for the season sweep over the Buckeyes with the match beginning at 7 p.m. broadcast on Big Ten+.
